Chapter 14: Damnation

“Young girl!”

"I'm truly sorry madam, pardon me." She apologized in a frail voice, shying away from her ferocity, she wished she hadn't cursed earlier. The guy who’d sworn to stay chortled at her demise and scampered, leaving her to her predicament.

"I loathe time wastage, empty out I said!" She decreed.

"Brutish." Lexie huffed, feeling more belittled than Kim always did her brother. Girl? In a year's time I'll be graduating, she snapped, quietly following those who'd sauntered to the auditorium.

"Are some of you deaf, daft or what? Pair means two!" Michelle yelled waving a peace sign. Lexie couldn't help envision her cartooned; a fatter magnate, tempering, with smoke fumes egressing her ears upon each rant. Funny, Lexie chuckled to herself. No, no wait...not funny, she gasped. Bloody ouch! She had just smacked someone's face, the grave's silence instantly enveloped the noise that once whirred. All the attention now fixated on her.

Her heart pounded, desperately scanning the room but all she met were tenth graders who'd since paired up. She wished she'd fade in the background, Paulman's to blame, she grumbled feeling undeserving of her punishment. She hastily sought for an alternative, a quiet plot to escape that horrid hell hole. If only Michelle would look away, she'd purposed to sneak out, she wasn't that far from the door. Her mind mapped out the distance, seemed doable but no sooner had she readied her feet to bolt than her pathway got blocked, thwarting her plan. "What the heck?!"

"Looking for me?" He grinned, his hands firm on her collar bone, restraining her from whatever stupidity she'd settled for.

"No seriously, what is it with you and always getting in my way?" Lexie groused in not more than a whisper. She prodded him, ballistic about her ruined plot.

"I just saved your sorry ass, you owe me." He argued, his glistening, mystical eyes held hers.

"I didn't ask you did I?"

"Save it, you're obviously glad I'm here."

"And you're puffed up, more than you are out of your flipping damned mind." Lexie groused. Her face had heated up, he stood unmoved with a castigating gaze on her. She couldn't hide her agitation.

"Is it hot in here or what?" He teased, fixative on her sweaty forehead, she clenched her fist to punch him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," He warned, grappling hands with hers, intent on suppressing her folded fist. She scrunched her shoulders from his agonizing grip.

"Who are you? You're hurting me psycho! Let go!" With not more than a struggle he turned the clasp into holding palms. She groaned, looking at Madam Michelle who stood before them. "Partners?" Lexie nodded, with a tentative smile.

"Yep." He throttled, swinging their interlocked palms, she rolled her eyes, still fighting his grasp.

"Now, I need teams of four, some will be painting boards, the next will handle the lamps for lighting which you'll be guided on and another will clean up artifacts from the archives." She worded a mouthful of instructions. Lexie had since zoned out, perturbed that her hand was still intertwined with that of her foe.

"My dear partner!" He grimly gloated finding pleasure as she fidgeted. A cynical smile wobbled playfully on his lips, she ignored his condescending tone.

"Anyone mentioned how you are such a d-bag?!"

"Break it off you two, you can cuddle after detention!" Michelle taunted passing between them. A tubby tenth grader timidly approached them, her big, turquoise eyes danced with tepidity. She adjusted her neat collar, cleared her throat then faced Lexie. "Hey, I'm Sawyer, was wondering if it's okay for you guys to go for the artifacts, my partner and I don't quite know where the archive is. We'll promise to do all the dusting, if that's alright?" She meekly suggested eyeing them both.

The half-anguished voice in her head wished to differ but her conscience and kindness at heart considered Sawyer's humble request. Everyone busied themselves as this pleased Michelle who was strutting on the podium, head up high and her clunky shoes echoing her chattering beak.

***

"Calvis, Natasha, Brandon, Yvonne...I suppose you're all here for the retake?" Paulman said flipping the list of names for those retaking the test. "You stop after forty five minutes," He informed.

Get your head together, you need to do better, Calvis nudged himself remembering he'd flopped his Chemistry paper. Balancing senseless chemical equations never made sense to him, how was sulfuric acid ever coming in handy in future? He glanced at the back and met Tasha who seemed to have been through with her paper, she smiled at him but he turned his back repulsed.

Paulman ordered her to collect all papers when time was up, she was to drop them on his office desk. She seemed displeased by that instruction, especially, when picking Calvis's half blank one. "Hey Cal, wait up!" Tasha called out but he slipped away into the shadows ignoring her.

***

"BTFY?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Lexie asked baffled, letting go of the wooden chunk she was carrying.

"Bad time for you?” He explained casually.

"Actually, yeah, I...I'm..."

"Please don't rant, I'm no shrink, after all, you chose this for us," her partner cut her short lifting his load from the floor.

"Wow, so cold hearted, I'm bleeding but never mind." She stormed off.

"Wait, what?" He yelled after her, she took a left turn back to the auditorium and bumped into Calvis who was lazily humming to an unknown song. "Whoa L, chill out, that's quite a mood." Cal stated astonished.

"Periods," she whispered, "forgive my repugnance," she joked, managing an honest smile.

"You'd pass for being cray at the moment."

"You got me and much as I'd love to chat, I'm in quite a rush. Goodbye?" She said and sped off. Cal stood there confused, looked at his watch then made a beeline out of the building, it had gotten late.

"Ugh Natasha, what's your deal?"

"Have you seen Calvis anywhere, you're bleeding..."

"I'm fine it a small cut and Cal just left," Lexie cut her short, her head was throbbing "if you'll excuse me, I'm a little worked up."

She to use a shorter passage into the archives avoiding confrontations with her obnoxious partner. His rude remarks had nerved her, she took brisk steps down the spiral staircase into the basement. She flicked the switch but the bulb didn't light, strange. Trepidation encompassed and her breathing destabilized, she thought to have heard voices from afar. No sooner had she walked into the cramped up dusty aisle than her frame fell to the ground.

Breathlessly, she lay on the floor comatose.

***

A/N: Thank for reading